So bad that it's GREAT!

Samurai sword VS Slayer sword



Wow...my COWBOY SAMURAI film was a technical disaster BUT everyone enjoyed it!!!

A Sport

People-watching, that is.

Second floor of a japanese restaurant with Kim Boram, the great director from Korea at age of 24 (or so he proclaims...google his name to try to find out). We started looking at the menu when he suddenly turned to look down the window...

"Whoa...pretty girl..."

"Where...?" I turned only to see but the back view of a girl.

"Really, really pretty girl..."

"REally??? Oh man...I misssed it..." disappointed with myself.

We made the order and started a chat while waiting for food to come, when Boram suddenly turned again.

"Wow! Nice body..."

This time, I turned in time to see but to my disappointment once more, it wasnt as nice as he claimed.

"That girl?"

"Yeah...nice body! Right?"

"Errr...yar.....not bad..."

Then the food came and we ate. He infrequently twists his head to the window to proclaim his discoveries. WTF....any girl also pretty...!

...

A walk down University Place after my shoot...saw 2 frens...so decided to grab a sandwich and join them....

A couple walks past, both holding handbags.

"A giggolo..." One of the girls comments before bursting into giggly exchanges.

A man with well-heeled sports shoes walks past.

"Looking too tall for his own good..." they go again. Then an old lady with bulging but not bouncing chest walks past. I start to find it amusing. Two man both wearing khaki shorts and white t-shirt walks past. Burst into laughter again.

I pointed to them...giving my comment.

"Pointing is not allowed. That's the rule...!"

"Sorry...I'm kinda new to this..."

A friend walks past and he starts to acknowledge.

"Hey you're not supposed to know us. Walk past again..."

He obeys, and walks past.

"He's trying too hard..."

Friend joins, then leaves. One of the girls then took out a bag from a huge, black plastic bag, tweaking at the flimsy Prada sign...

"They were so worried when we entered. They told us to close the door behind..."

...

This really gets immoral...I had become the unnoticing participant of the sports both times...but it was quite interesting! HAHA...!

*#@COWBOY SAMURAI @#* (IN MINOR SWING)

Objective:
To string the elements of the West, the Japanese, and the jazz into a comedy and to reconstruct the classic story of the hero saving the damsel in distress.


Treatment:
Intro – Deep Purple, Smoke in the Water
The Cowboy samurai, the Damsel, the Underlings, the Pirate stand at the Arch De Triumph, Washington Square Park.

The Asskicking, the Showdown, the Serenade –
Minor Swing, Django Reinhardt
Cowboy samurai zigzags from one cover to the next. He rolls over, falling at the feet of the Underlings. The confrontation kicks off – the jitter to the right, the jitter to the left. Underling 1 pushes Underling (wheelchair) to strike Cowboy samurai. Cowboy samurai dodges. He slashes the Underlings in a fatal symphony.

Cowboy samurai dashes across the grasslands, the trees, the fences, the people of Washington Square Park. Pirate swaggers, and teases his prized Damsel. Cowboy samurai saunters in, puffs a cigarette. The close in, the jitter to the right, the jitter to the left, the slash - Pirate breaks and falls in a tragic rhapsody.

The Damsel is saved. The Cowboy samurai, the Damsel, serenades in a minor swing.



This film, I think, is really the most ass-kicking, and a gut-wrenching one! Really proud of my cheesy story idea, that is the essence of the comical set-up! A cowboy doubling up as a samurai, slashing bad asses and then goes on a serenade with the damsel he saved from distress!!!

I had 6 actors involved in my cast and there was certainly the trouble of finding them, BIG TIME! Well, in the end, I got them right at the last minute. The cowboy samurai is a real cowboy from Texas, my roommate. The damsel is the cowboy's lady in interest, the underlings, one being my other roommate, the other two coming from another crew in my class whom I took great effort to convince. The baddest of all villain, the kungfu master, was to be me initially. But it turn out that the villain is to be the pirate, played by my roommates' TV and Documentary classmate who came for a stroll in the park and who is also a professor in Turkey. My other roommate who played the villain became the wheelchair bound underling at his own initiation since he liked playing on the wheelchair that I borrowed to make my dolly shots.

Of course, with the cheesy sequences, there were constant jibes by the actors, my frequent hair-pulling, eye-rolling act of frustration at getting the ridiculous feat done. I almost gave up, and I almost gave up!

And so the shoot went, a swashbuckling cowboy doubling as a samurai displaying cheesy strokes on the plastic sword, killing off the bad villains who were too willing to fight the great cowboy samurai without any weapons. The rescue was a dance, a romance, with the damsel flashing a sweet smile to end the crowning affair.

To Chew or Not to Chew

I finally think everyone is right! My chewing gum script should be a romantic comedy!!

in the making....

The Escape

If I were to be an artist, I would probably be a thrash artist!

That is, when I think so highly of my work, I tend to be put down and when I think so badly of my work, I get encouraging remarks from people...What's wrong with their taste? I did a horror film that is so thrashy I would laugh everytime I see it...yet I get ppl saying that the images are cool etc...I say they are so amateurish and lame! I also did a comedy that I thought was so thrashy...but everyone found it funny!

Remember the first project? I thought it's really meaningful but ppl did not get it and tried to put it down when it was screened...And then the chewing gum script...I had grand plans to make it into a romantic film that could possibly make singapore think about the ban on chewing gum... 'but it sounded like a comedy...It was cheesy'???

And then there's David...the other guy in my crew. He used 6 rolls of film for his first film. It was an epic considering most ppl were expected to use 1 roll. It has since been his only film screened when everyone in the class has screened 3. What the F is he doing??? And he's in his mid-twenties...looking like he had never got a normal job before...well-to-do parents too...

Shit...I should stop doing this sort of thing until I've done something mainstream and earned a decent living..I need to be an office worker...a banker...a clerk or whatever!! I need to slog my life out for money from 9-5 and even later....everyday!!!

PROJECT Two

Objective: To seek out the peculiarities in life and how anxiously we attempt to resolve it (to hide it or to show it?).

Treatment:
Tom and Jane are the most common looking people in town. Their peculiarities are revealed when Jane bumped into Tom one day.

Jane is rushing for work after her lunch, holding a huge bag and a pile of document. She knocks into Tom who is standing in the middle of Washington Square, waiting for his friend to come. Her bag drops, scattering the contents and her pile of document sent flying all over.

Jane attempts to recover the mess frantically. Tom is apologetic for being implicated by Jane’s clumsiness. He tries to help but Jane is perturbed. She is anxious not to let Tom notice the items she has in her bag: a make-up kit (vanity), Chinese fan (modern vs. traditional), a slab of pill (weakness), admirer’s note (girlish charm), men’s briefs (sexuality and confusion)!

So Jane keeps Tom away and Tom stands aside to observe. He is starting to get amused. It is not only by Jane’s comical attempt to keep her mess but also, he has noticed the items that had fallen out.

Tom attempts to help again out of his kindness. He picks up a paper bag but Jane pulls it away from him, only to spill out men’s briefs from it. Jane is now greatly embarrassed but Tom becomes more amused. He smiles as he started folding the briefs neatly into a pile as Jane continues with clearing up her mess.

Jane finally recovered herself but only to find Tom folding her briefs meticulously. She snatches it away and gives Tom a tight slap before storming away.

Tom is unfazed as he smiles to himself with satisfaction. His friend finally arrives. They embraced, holding hands as they walked off.





Evaluation:

Firstly, my planning was not efficient enough. I had planned to shoot at Washington square but I do not know the exact spot, hence I wasted time finding the location. Then, my actress and I were the only ones who turned up on time. My crew turned up late and my actor decided not to come due to work commitment and I felt sorry for my actress since she is a semi-professional actress who is willing to do the shoot for me even though we have never met before. So, I managed to find an actor from the location at random and my crew was able to set up the shoot in time. Thus, I was happy to resolve the initial problems quickly even before the shoot.

Then, I faced a second failure. I decided not to shoot the original establishing scenes from my storyboard when one of my crew gave me her comment and that I was discouraged by my first screening. I ended up regretting for not trying when I first saw the film in the editing room. I will attempt to resolve the conflict between my creativity and the reality by reaching a point of mediation when writing future scripts, and of course, I will grow from this with greater self-belief.

Overall, I do not feel satisfied with regards to my film because there is much exaggeration in the acting by the actor; there are too many exposure problems because my actress’s skin tone and shirt was many stops away from the actor and the environment. The intensity of sunlight kept on changing and I felt that I was at the mercy of the environment, and that my actor and actress had to suffer under the heat. I would prefer to choose a shady area to shoot a similar film in future. My film technique is still shaky and I would like to make a tremendous improvement. My intended effect of showing metaphors is lost due to this failure. Hence, I do not feel comfortable with the humor since its intended meaning is lost in my filming. I would also like to see myself overcoming the inconvenience of the cast and the environment by devising each detail to good cinematography.

The success of my film would be in the clarity of story-telling and its fair attempt at humor. I particularly like my actress’s performance in the film, and also her professionalism. I hope I have generated a fair amount of laughter in the entertainment of the audience.



Class Verdict: Hilarious, good twist at the end! Good casting!

It was well-received! Everyone had a good laugh. I was slightly surprised since I am rather unconfident before the screening. What an irony! It was the reverse for my first film. I thought it was great but the audience thought it was thrash. Now I think it's thrash and the audience think it's great. At least I am more confident about my future films now. The audience has certainly given me a sense of satisfaction to my production.

Mercedez

"Sorry I havent got your name...?"

"Mercedez."

""Sorry...wHat...Mercedez?"

bRoOOmmmbRoommm...growl..... (my thoughts)

childish giggles...

"you serious?"

"Yeah...it's ok they always do this...."

"My dad drives a mercedez...."

ohhh hoooo...

What is Art?

When I ask what is art? I do not even attempt to try to answer it. I am wondering, 'what art is?' I go to art museums and try to be 'artsy' (something I have to do when I travel yet I do not enjoy at all). Now, I finally come to study film which is art in a function. I still wonder what art really is...

The following is a little journey...

My first film...set out to express lost and confusion in the city, ended up with the audience mouth wide opened, not in the sense of awe but in sense of helplessness. Many thought the film had random scenes and little meaning. I concede my failure towards the technical errors and unconvincing casting but I do not understand why people criticise it when I have managed to express confusion in them. I was downhearted in my attempt to express my meaning of art since my expression was lost amongst a class of art students. What art is exactly? The screening was conducted in the way that after the show is done. The makers will take the stage in front of the class to take criticism without the opportunity to provide an answer. Film is, after all, an art to convey stories visually. So if you get the movie, there is no need for external commentary on the movie. And that was what I got...

However, my hope was reignited when two really nice girls came up to me and tell me that they liked it and they understand what I was trying to convey, telling me not to listen to the criticism of the others. But I ask, 'what use of art is, if they sit still alone with no one attending to it?'

So the second film...I had my crazy idea again. However, one of my crew commented, as I set up my shoot, that it is not going to work. I took it to heart and was reminded of my first experience with the class and decided not to go with the initial plan. And so i did...then i regretted...and now I have to do my editing with something that I do not like due to the influence of others.

Then is the screen-writing class. I wrote a screenplay about the contradiction between Singapore and chewing gum. The class turned into an uproar...not regarding the story..but with Singapore and the issue of chewing gum...and I got the comment that it could be a comedy, that there is no high climatic point. However, the script is about the contradiciton about chewing gum, the ups and downs of living with a contradiction, and hence no climatic point. It is not a comedy, but a romance, clearly written out with its elements. Why in a class of screen-writing, do we favour hollywood blockbusters with the standard 3-act sequence of introducing the character, to the conflict, then to resolution?

I was invited to the tea reception for film certificate students at NYU. And there on the panel were screenwriters, professors, directors, the likes of people established in the profession of film. They talk about the real world of movie-making. The fuel that feed the engine of film-making, that is of course - money. They told us to write scripts that cater to the crowd. I came out of the reception with the message that film making is, after all, about the audience, and the audience is, after all, what provides the money to make your film.

So what is art is art?

My little journey is to continue...

I will not attempt to find the answer but I will continue to follow my heart...art is, and will not be my ultimate profession after all...

RaNdOm PeoPLe

Mexican bar...portugal vs germany

"@##$@%$%$#&&*" This latino momma spoke in spanish, rather audibly, bulging eyes.

I looked at her in confusion...stunned...bulging my eyes too.

"Sorry...I dun speak Spanish"

"So what is this match about...? Do they go on to play another game after this...?"

Oh...that's what she's trying to say...

"oh...they are fighting for third place in the tournament..."

"So the winner goes on to play the winner for tmr's match?"

...And so i went on explaining to her again in a dozen of ways...

finally....

"So why are they still playing...I still dun understand..."

"Err...for pride of the country...honour...??" raising my eyebrows as I said...

small talk and then a flurry to follow...

"So what do you think of korea and the nuclear weapons...?"
"Why cant they have the rights to own them when other countries have them...? Why do we make so much of it when we are killing people in Iraq...?"
"Power should be equal...you cannot have a totalitarian..."
"That's why i say knowledge is everything...the internet has brought us so much power...it is the key..."

She goes on talking abt totalitarianism...how the CIA owns the drug ring in her home country Columbia...then how she denounces religion...she says all this, vociferously, eyes bulging again...

I just say sometimes power cannot fall into the wrong hands...I dun strongly believe in anything...but religion keeps hope and faith...everyone has their own version of peace...cheering intermitantly as portugal started scoring goals after goals...telling her they have scored...looking at the replay and then she goes on again...even more aggresively, eyes bulging...

Then there was an own goal scored...she starts asking me what happened...who scored...why is the player so screwed up...

"You know Andrés Escobar? He was killed in the World Cup..."

Finally she leave....and I found a quiet refuge in the toilet...

"Hi...I heard you came from Singapore..."

A small stream of pee....

"Oh yeah...where are you from..."

blablablaaa.....my first ever toilet talk with a stranger...out of the toilet...

"So what are you here for...?"

"I work for as a management consultant in Sydney...sometimes in Singapore..sometimes in New York..."

blablaablaa....then I told him he could come and act for my film...he was interested and gave me his name card...

Day of my second shoot...

"Did Karl reply the message?"

"Yes...but he said he cant make it...he has work..."

then I stood there...staring at my actress...NYU grad in acting and drama blabla...that my roommate had found from the internet...my crew are late...

Then I went around Washington square park looking for an alternative guy...then I saw Cheryl..

"Hey do you have a spare actor??"

"Yeah...you can ask the guy with the guitar over there..."

I asked...

"No sorry...I have class at 2.30"

"Hey I can act for you!" Came the voice from the man beside Cheryl...he's acting for Cheryl right now and he would help me out when they are done...his name is Jason...

And so Jason the goofy guy and Laura my actress...

And then one day doing laundry...confused...and dunno how the machine works...

"Hey...eRrr....Could you..yadayda...Err...Could you do me a favour?"

And so she helps me out....then she asks me...

"Are you from Singapore?"

"Yeah! It's so obvious right..."

"I'm from Singapore too..."

haha...how I love doing laundry... and of course...meeting these people in NYC too... =p

PROJECT One

The title is called LOST IN THE CITY. But I would like to call it DA VINCI CODE.

The reason: the shots were all over the place when I first got it back in the editing room. I had to piece the scenes together like a jigsaw puzzle. And everyone were so confused when it was screened...

Objective:
1. To present the claustrophobic nature of the city.
There are too many a time when we lose our way in midst of the concrete jungle in the city. There is anxiety, confusion, and finally, the stress escalates: the imposing high-rising buildings and the narrow, constricting sidewalks seem to cave in – a sense of nausea. A revelation unfolds when we find our way, only to carry on with the endless activities that crowd the very streets of the city.
2. To present the project in the form of black and white silent film within a 100 footage with particular attention to continuity of action from scene to scene.



Treatment:
Man enters scene of a rusty, graffiti-filled door. He shuffles in his step, lost and flustered. He is trying to find his way around the relentless streets of New York.

He trudges ahead. A scene of human traffic flashes by.

Man looks left to find an inviting junction. He crosses over, half-jogging. Then, he finds himself walking past the imposing concrete walls again. Another scene of human traffic flashes by. He walks to the end only to see a huge volume of vehicle traffic. He falls into further confusion as the cars zoom by.

He turns another corner into a dim construction pathway. The yellow, luminescent light bulbs seem to stretch out the pathway into an endless distance. Under the low wooden shelter that had isolated the surrounding activity, the path of light bulbs conglomerated to form an ominous glare. Man chokes and coughs – a strong surge of nausea.

Man survives the pathway to reach a t-junction. He ponders where to go again. The pedestrian light flashes red to a blur. The green man comes on and Man crosses the junction.

He walks into another sheltered pathway. But this time, he seems to know his way. There is light at the end of the path, a flurry of human activity. He enters the hustling sidewalk of Broadway. He finds his peace among the crowd as he walks in tandem with the consortium of activity.


Pre-screening Evaluation:
The film turn out little like the treatment above. I had allowed David to give suggestions for his acting and I also asked Meghan for suggestions for her role as a DP. It did cause some confusion to the crew and changed my original plan. I ended up not meeting any of the objectives, changing my mind as I shoot.

I call my style of directing...hit and run directing =p

There was a homeless guy who blocked our shot and refused to leave until we gave him some change. There were spots where there was too much sunlight and I had to use other locations. There was a security guard who obstructed us from shooting along a particular pathway that was in my plan.

However, I have received good reviews from two people who had seen my film before screening in class and I do like my film. At least I put up a decent film together.


FILM CRITICS:
'I thought it was cool when the two ladies walk past unknowingly and seem to block away David...and then again when the kid who walk by unknowingly when David was walking towards Michaela...and then there's others...'



'The shots of people and traffic that you cut in...did they have any meaning?'
'When David and Michaela met, it was too far away and overexposed...I could not tell what was happening'

Confusion, confusion, confusion...

'Who think that the cutaway scenes were just random?'

class raises hands...

'Who were confused about shots without David'

class raises hands...

'Who understood what story the film was trying to tell?'

class raises hands again...



'exposure issues...some technical problems'



'David looked like he's looking for the toilet'

... ...that's a bit too much...


CLASS'S VERDICT: Thrash

MY VERDICT:
Everyone went into confusion after the screening. So, it's was a success after all!

Well, the story and the random scenes were for them to interpret in any way that they want to. It was to throw everyone into confusion and I was even confused myself when shooting the film. I didnt even plan an ending (the part when David met his girlfriend). It was David who suggested the ending before the shoot. I thought that would please the audience and I decided to put it in.

Ohhh...perhaps it was just a joke...will have better luck next time then! Hurhur...

I Shot my 1ST Film!

Well...it's kinda surreal when 3 months ago, you say you want to do something that is not what you will normally do and then 3 months later you really did it...

Alrite...that's kinda making a loop...haha...I do have to make 2 loops as big as possible when loading film...hurhur...

Anyway...

I did it!

I have shot a film!

Nesting proudly by the side are my most endearing, highly prized completed films. The first of my very first!

Erm...black and white...silent...

Let me share the experience...

Making film is the most exciting, yet excrutiating. Firstly, there is a fair amount of equipment that is required and carried around. There is the physical labour involved. Then, there is the people handling. There has to be leadership from being the director. A great deal a communication to get what you want. There is often working with people you do not know...people that you approach from the streets to act for you. Then, there is the art direction. What I mean is the fair amount of scriptwriting that is to be constructed in the scene as much as it is meant to be. The emotions that you want to evoke is often practically impossible. It depends on how powerful you are, how determined you are, how techinically proficient you are. This is a great deal a capability involved. Then there is the environment. For exterior shooting, there is little control. There is a great deal that we cannot control for the force of nature. The sunlight goes out, the sunlight comes in: you have to change the exposure accordingly. As you shoot, some funny guy walks into your scene and shows off his/her big buttocks, or this homeless shit comes and asks you for money or he'll destroy your beautiful shot with his ugly unkempt face.

All these I had to conquer today, for how many minutes of footage?? Less than 6 minutes!

Hence, my admiration for artists. On top of being talented and creative, the artist is often proficient is his art. He is proficient in the medium that he performs his art. He is able to express himself technically, while he thrives on his talent.

My controversial example of a good artist is that of a good conversationalist. He converts his thoughts instantaneuosly to beautiful, flowery language, to evoke to his audience his experience, often alluring and sometimes beguiling. Therefore, it is the art while not many people consent to it as a victim as they consent to their general popularity. I have failed in this art and often will remain as a bewildered admirer.

Thus, my aspiration.

A collage of my shot location

Thumbs up!

Me enjoying the World Cup festivity the day before Germany kicked off the very first match against Costa Rica. And boy did I get onto Straits Times for cuddling two huge, friendly Germans.

Kudos to Andre for the shot!

(Andre was the one who approached the 2 Germans for a photo and I took it off-centre for him...wit won the day as I asked to replace him and borrowed the German's hat. I then got Andre to take a perfect photo. Finally, Andre submitted a group of photos to the Straits Times for us and his was the only one that didnt get selected...OopS!)

Up Fifth Avenue